Keeping The Mask
by Jurodan
Summary: What if Hans hadn't told Anna the truth? What if Hans had decided to try to find another way of saving Anna to confirm the legitimacy of his soon to be rule? What if Hans kept his mask of civility and honor while scheming and backstabbing? Can a villain pretend to be a hero and really get away with it?
1. Just A Kiss

Author's Note: An alternate ending to Frozen that I came up with. Can Hans pull off a classic Disney ending despite not being the hero?

Chapter 1: Just A Kiss

Hans's mind raced as his lips moved closer to hers. It had all been going so well. Elsa was in the dungeon, Anna was gone, who knew where. The ambassadors, well, one of them at least, had all but named him the new ruler. He was sure that he could get that weasel from Weselton to back him as well if needed. None of them would support Elsa for long, not with the unforgiving winter she had brought upon the land. He would perhaps lack the legitimacy he was hoping for, but he should have enough with Anna's first, and last, order.

Already the peasants were looking to him for leadership. After all, he was the one who had given them food and shelter and succor in their time of need, even to the consternation of the other dignitaries, even if only the Duke of Weselton was crass enough to give voice to it. They would accept him, the prince who almost had the princess's hand before she left to find the queen.

Things were looking up, despite the terrible conditions. He just prayed that the unnatural winter would end if something... unfortunate... were to happen to Elsa. The Duke had already attempted something, well, his two guards had anyway. Maybe if he was lucky, he would be able to blame him. A war wasn't exactly the best option, but controlling two kingdoms would be better than one, and cementing his control by avenging the queen's unfortunate demise would put him all the more in the good graces of his new kingdom.

Then Anna had been ushered back into the scene, almost literally thrown into him. She felt like ice, through her clothes and his, her body radiating cold. As he looked her over, trying to get over the shock, and fighting against the urge to shiver, he saw that her hair was turning to match the snow. And then the answer had spilled out of her. Her sister, the queen, the instigator of his rise, affirmed his place. She had struck her sister with her sorcery. Anna doubled over in pain, but he managed to keep hold of her, then, carefully, lifted her up and moved her to the couch.

She spoke shakily, shivering all the while, "She froze my heart and only an act of true love can save me."

Hans had stared at her for a second before it donned on him what she wanted, the words spilling out of his mouth, "A true love's kiss."

And now she was leaning forward, guided by his own traitorous hand, lips puckered, waiting for a kiss to save her life. Damn. This... was going to take some fast talking. He knew he couldn't save her. He didn't love her, truly or otherwise. He found her attractive, yes, useful, yes, and very _very_ naive, but love? Well, maybe if they spent a few years together, but it wasn't like political marriages necessitated love. His mother and father, and at least two of his brothers, had certainly showed him that.

Maybe he could just... make it work? Sure he didn't love her, but not being able to fix her would likely put paid to any aspirations here. He had to at least try. He leaned in closer, his lips touching hers.

Nothing.

He waited, hoping, praying that there would be a burst of warmth, that something, anything would happen. But no, it was akin to kissing an ice sculpture. He pulled away only reluctantly, looking at her with baited breath, praying it would happen as the kiss ended. She remained unchanged. If anything, it looked like more of her hair had turn white.

She looked up at him, smiling, hope in her eyes. He watched it die, the realization that the kiss had done nothing for her. Damn. He swallowed a knot forming in his throat. What would he say, what could he do to salvage this?

She shook her head, grabbing a bit of hair and looking at it, "No. It..." She breathed out a breath so cold the air fogged before her, "It didn't work. Why didn't it work?" She looked at him in stunned, naive incomprehension.

Thank heavens he hadn't figured it out. That meant he still had time. He had to think fast, very fast. "I don't know." He blurted, as smoothly as he could, leaning away from her before he shivered too visibly even as he grasped her hands. "What..." He stared into space, his mind racing, "Who told you what needed to be done to save you?"

"Trolls," Hans wanted to raise an eyebrow at that, but her sister HAD turned summer into winter, so there was no place to doubt anything at this point, "Kristoff brought me to them," Kristoff? That was a new and unpleasant rub, but whoever that was could be dealt with later, assuming there would be a later. "Their leader said that an act of true love was all that could save me."

"An act of true love." Hans repeated, pulling back more, leaning back and away from her. Her hands slipped from his as he took a deep breath of warmer air. Not a kiss. Not _necessarily_ a kiss. Something else… He just had to convince her of that. "Anna, I want you to stay here, where it's warm."

He rose to his feet, the wheels in his mind turning rapidly as he watched her struggle to move off the sofa, "What?" Her eyes were wide with shock, her hand pawing for him even as he began to walk away from her, moving towards the door, "Wait, Hans, where are you going?"

He looked back at her, his smile as soft and comforting as he could make it, "I'm going to save you of course."

Author's Notes: I hope you've enjoyed chapter one, I know it's short. Still, I've got at least two more chapters.


	2. A Bloody Salvation

Author's Notes: By the way, Hans still isn't a good person. Just saying.

Chapter 2: A Bloody Salvation?

Now just how was he going to save her? That was a good question. Maybe… if he was lucky, he'd be able to save her and stop this false winter at the same time. Of course, that would require some cover…

"It's getting colder by the minute. If we don't do something soon we'll all freeze to death."

Hans could hear the sniveling little toad from outside the room. It was just a pity that the man was right. It _was_ getting colder, and no amount of clothing was covering that up. Already the guards were inside the castle, having abandoned the exterior posts. Even worse was the snow and ice building up on the houses and castle. He had heard the roof creaking under the strain even as he walked here.

He opened the door and stepped inside, looking tense. The diplomats looked to him, rising from their chairs. "You're right I'm afraid." The Duke looked just a bit startled to having someone who wasn't a lackey agreeing with him. "But it is worse than we thought." He drew a heavy breath, "Anna is dying."

There was a startled gasp from the assembled dignitaries. Hans shook his head as the weasel from Weselton grasped his shoulder, "What happened?"

He sagged into the chair at the head of the table, the position of authority, as a subtle reminder. He looked up at them, eyes heavy with strain, "Queen Elsa struck her heart with magic." He closed his eyes, turning away, "She will die soon..." He let the sentence hang. Silence descended sharply. He couldn't see, but he was sure the other diplomats were looking at each other.

"Her own sister." The duke murmured, aghast. He paused in silence, and Hans opened his eyes, looking up at the man, whose voice had become grave, "There can be no doubt now, Queen Elsa is a monster we are all in grave danger."

"Prince Hans," The Spanish dignitary murmured, "Arendale looks to you."

Hans let out a breath, almost surprised it was not visible in the growing cold. His mind was still working furiously to find a way to pin the murders on someone else, preferably the preening little sod in front of him. Bloodstained hands were rarely a good way to start the stewardship of a country, "I... I must speak to the Queen. Maybe, if I can make her see reason, she will spare her sister. If we release her..."

"Set her free?" The Duke snapped vehemently, looking startled and horrified at the same time. Perfect. "She has struck down her own sister. She has cursed these lands. We need to..." He didn't even need to finish the sentence, the implication was enough. 'Thank you, you bitter old fool.' Having men witness his men's attempt on her life once might have been enough, this though...

Hans rose from his seat abruptly, sending the chair clattering to the floor. He glowered at the Duke, but quickly turned to the other dignitaries, "Excuse us gentlemen. The Duke and I have something to discuss." He returned his gaze to the older man, who was recoiling as if struck. Out of the corner of his eye he watched the others exchange a glance, then a nod. Together they left the room, closing the door behind them. Hans followed after them, walking to the doors and locking them.

Hans turned back to look at the older man, pompous strutting little peacock that he was. He let out a deep breath, feigning resignation, "I agree with you."

"What?" The man looked startled, drawing back, even lifting his leg off the floor as if he had expected to be struck down for impertinence. He would be, Hans mused, but not yet.

"Queen Elsa has gone too far." He turned away from the little man, shaking his head, "I was hoping she would see reason..." He stopped, "I want to talk to her once more. Give her one more chance... but..."

The man blinked, and then made what he probably believed was a calculating look, "You want me to murder her for you?"

"You already had your men attempt to kill her." Hans said indignantly, "They stormed her ice castle, chased her into her sanctum and almost succeeded in ending her life. And with that attempt any hope of her seeing things reasonably was lost."

The duke frowned, just a little, and then put a hand under his jaw, "What makes you think they can succeed where they failed before?"

"There is a window at the back of Queen Elsa's prison cell." Hans looked away, "If she will not see reason..." He trailed off meaningfully.

The duke was quiet for a moment, mulling over his options. Hans, for once, didn't blame the man. "This could ruin the trade between our kingdoms you know."

Hans wanted to roll his eyes, but looked back at the man, forcing a haunted expression on his face, "What is your price? To ensure the safety of Arendale? To save Anna's life?"

The duke folded his hands together, "I'm sure that we can come to some form of agreement later."

"Have your men ready." Hans unlocked the door, "I will be down shortly."

Author's Notes: I hope you've enjoyed this chapter, I know it's short, but the next chapter will be longer. If you like please review.


	3. Sacrifice

Author's Notes: I might repeat this once more, just for some emphasis, Hans: not a good person.

Chapter 3: Sacrifice

How was he going to explain this to Anna? Now that was the question. Oh, nothing so silly as explain that he was going to have her beloved, if extraordinarily unstable and let's not forget dangerous sister, murdered. That would be silly. No, how was he going to spin taking her down to see her? Perhaps he had just checked her to see if she was still conscious and then bring her down? That may work.

He heard the roof creaking again, the sound was coming more often and was becoming... worrying. The halls were empty, and he was hoping that the duke would have his men in place by the time he got there. For all he knew the duke wouldn't have them wait, or have him shot immediately afterwards.

That, of course, was why Anna was coming with him to see her. If the Duke killed one of them and they kept firing Anna would make a very useful, slow moving and convenient human shield, one with added purpose as well. Killing one royal would be bad enough, killing both of them, even if one of them was on the verge of death anyway, would lead to a bloody outrage and his conviction in avenging the deaths of the royal line would ease any remaining tensions of his takeover.

He knocked on the door, finding it slightly ajar. Anna was sitting by the fire and... Hans blinked, staring at the slightly melted snowman. How in the blazes had that gotten in here? And then it moved, looking at him, then began pointing, or rather frantically waving a wooden stick arm at him to draw Anna's attention. "He's back! Anna, he's back!" It said in an oddly lisping nasal twang.

Hans blinked. Well, at least it wasn't two stories tall, spiked with ice barbs and attempting to kill him. He could deal with this one easily if it came down to it. His gaze returned to Anna and his throat got caught. Her hair was almost entirely white now. He didn't have much time. She looked back at him, shivering, "Y-you came back."

He walked to her, kneeling at her side, a kind smile on his face. He clasped her hands in his, holding moving ice in his palms, "Anna, of course I came back." If anything she was even colder, and in worse condition. He would have to move fast. And the human shield idea wasn't looking too likely at this point. Oh well…

"Anna... your sister is here at the castle. I'm going to bring you to her, alright?"

"Elsa?" Her eyes widened as she breathed out a clearly visible breath, "She's here?"

"Yes. I'm bringing you to her. There must be a way she can stop this." He hefted her from the floor, her body draped limply between his arms. He cradled her against his chest, his coat, shirt and undershirt did nothing to block out the numbing cold. She looked at him lazily, a small smile creeping up on lips that were turning blue.

"My prince comes to save me..." She murmured dreamily.

He smiled at her, leaned in for a kiss that nearly froze his lips to her brow, and then turned to the snowman, "Do try to keep up."

Taking her to the dungeon was grueling. Carrying her alone would have made it difficult, but the growing numbness in his chest and arms nagged at him. He held back a sneeze as he descended the second staircase, and almost pulled away as she reached up and ran an ice cold palm against his cheek. He was sure he was flush with exertion, he wasn't used to this. He may cut a dashing figure, in fact he had gone to great lengths to make sure he did, but even a hardy peasant would have been pressed carrying a ninety odd pound load down three long hallways and multiple staircases without rest.

He was sure he was about to drop her before they reached the dungeons when the hallway rumbled. "What was that?" Anna squeaked. Hans frowned, unsure himself, and set her down on her feet. She practically crumpled there, bracing herself against the wall with the help of the snowman.

"I don't know." He answered honestly, "One of the roofs may have caved in under the weight of the snow..." But that wasn't it, he was sure of it. It had come from ahead. He wasn't sure, but he could swear that there was snow coming in from under the door from the room Elsa had been locked in. He wanted to curse, but held back, "Wait here."

He strode down the hall, pulling aside the crossbar, grabbed the handle and struggled to twist it open. He scowled, twisting the knob. It wasn't turning. He kicked at it, once, twice, finally kicking it in with the third terrific effort. He nearly fell as he stumbled into the room. Ice coated everything including the chains left on the floor. The wall opposed to him was gone, a whirlwind of snow visible just outside. Damn!

"Hans?" Anna's voice called from behind him in the hall, and he glanced back, watching her creep towards him, helped by the snowman. "What happened?" He covered a flash of irritation smoothly, she wasn't his wife, he couldn't expect her to follow his commands. Yet. Especially since she was so very willful to begin with. "Wait," She managed to stand up fully, looking into the room before turning to face him, "This is one of the dungeon cells."

"Yes," He bowed his head, failing to meet her eyes, "Your sister's creation attacked us before we tried to enter her castle." He glanced up, looking at her, but still not at her face, revealing a deep frown, "She was placed in this cell, her hands bound to prevent her from casting any more spells." For all the good it had done, he noted in a touch of annoyance. He let out a heavy breath, finally looking her in the eye, "I would never have agreed to it if we hadn't been attacked without provocation. We didn't even see her before the beast rose up to crush us."

Anna flinched, but the admission seemed to catch her off guard. She looked into the ruined room; the walls covered in ice, the snow swirling outside and sagged visibly. "How are we going to find her out there?"

That was a very good question. He held back a frown, and walked towards the breach in the wall. Maybe she hadn't gotten – there was a sudden crack beneath his boot and he looked down instinctively. The feathered edge of a crossbow bolt stuck out from beneath his heel, the same style the Duke's men had used earlier. Hans wanted to bite back a curse; those idiots should have waited until he got here. He restrained himself quickly, no, he had no clue what happened yet, and they may have only started firing when she had broken free. It hardly mattered now. Or did it?

He took a step back and looked at the tip, spotting what he had been hoping for: blood. And now that he was looking, he could see it, not just there, but a trail on the floor leading outside. The wind may be howling, the snow may be blinding, but the trail would be distinct if she kept bleeding. He turned back to Anna, who was leaning against the door frame, hunched over. "Anna, your sister is in danger."

Her eyes widened as he moved to her side, "What? What's wrong?"

He ran to her and swept her off her feet once more, then turned, bracing himself against the wind, the snow and the freezing cold of the body in his arms, "The Duke is trying to have your sister killed." He managed to catch Anna's squawk of appall before they reached the threshold and all talk beyond shouting lost meaning.

The blizzard was horrifying in scope. He could barely see ten feet ahead of him when he glanced up, and the wind was cutting through his clothing even more than Anna's curse. He had to find Elsa quickly, or Anna wouldn't be the only one frozen solid. He tried to keep his eyes on the trail, like his father had taught him when they hunted in their private forest. If the color didn't stand out so well against the ice he had no doubt he would have lost it by now.

A shout cut through the wind. Hans couldn't tell if it was Anna, Elsa, or someone else at this point, but he had to hope it meant they were close. He wasn't sure how much further he could go, his body was burning with exertion and freezing in the cold at the same time. And somehow the weather was continuing to get even worse, "Queen Elsa!" He shouted, still stumbling forward, wincing at the bite of the wind. "Queen Elsa, Anna is with me!"

As if in answer a body burst through the swirling snow. Hans's eyes widened, and he stepped aside as the man, one of the Dukes', he realized, slammed into the snow beside him and began rolling over, sliding over the ice. Alive or dead he was gone in an instant, the snow swallowing him back up. Hans caught himself staring, looking back to Anna, who was equally as confused before the realization struck him like thunder.

"QUEEN ELSA!" He shouted as loudly as he could, his body surging with new desperate energy. She had to be right there, just in front of them. She couldn't have sent him flying like that from another angle. Hans burst through a cloud of billowing snow and saw her. She was standing, barely, a deep gash right above the calf of her left knee, still weeping blood. Her translucent gown was ripped and bloody, sticking to her leg and spreading a growing stain on the ice.

She turned on him, her face full of fury, the very picture of a goddess of ice and snow scorned. Hans opened his mouth, but no words would come. Her hands were rising to strike him down. His eyes widened, and he felt himself drawing in a breath as he saw shards of ice like daggers appear above her hands.

And then she saw Anna in his arms.

The look of anger on her face froze, and then crumpled into shock and panic, "Anna!" The pain in her voice was far deeper than could come from the wound in her leg, and she lurched towards him unsteadily, the shards of ice clattering to the ice forgotten. The weather sympathized, the howling wind dying away, the snow that battered and buffeted him freezing in the air, as if time itself had paused to give her passage.

"Els-sa…" Anna's voice quavered her body shivering. Hans grimaced, tipping his arms and letting her slip down onto her feet. The princess almost collapsed, but her sister grabbed her, pulling her into a hug before pushing her back to look her over.

"Anna, what happened to you?" Elsa's eyes were widening in shock, trying to take in, unable to comprehend the sight before her. She ran her hand along Anna's cheek, a trail of ice forming under her ear and extending towards her chin.

"Elsa…" Anna smiled, "So… good to see you… Help me… please…"

Hans really wasn't really paying attention to the touching scene. Honestly, he was barely standing upright, and he couldn't help but grumble at the little re-introduction. Then something else had caught his eye: one of the snow banks not too far away was shifting. He could barely see it from the corner of his eye, but the color was unmistakable. One of the Duke's men was rising up from the snow, almost like the beast that had attacked them before. The man staggered, off balance and on ice, but managed to gain his footing.

"How?" Elsa's voice was just as desperate, "How?"

Hans snapped back to focus before he accidentally drew their attention to the assassin behind them. He swallowed, reaching out and grabbing her shoulder, trying to look as pained as Elsa herself, "She said you froze her heart. Please, if you did this, you must be able to undo it."

Elsa's eyes grew wide, "No, no I… I couldn't have. I…" She turned back to Anna, her head shaking, "I…" The wind began to pick up, whipping up snow as Elsa's lost control of both her emotions and her powers.

"Queen Elsa, you must try." Hans said hurriedly, he had to save this chance before it was lost. "If… If you can't remove it from her, can you move it?" The thought must have startled her into calm again, a question, an offer that she simply hadn't thought of before. And one Hans certainly had no intention of fulfilling. He knelt down, looking casting a quick glance at the Duke's man, now becoming visible again, the stock of the crossbow steadying for a shot. "Queen Elsa… if you can transfer it the cold in her heart to me… to save Anna, please…"

The winds died entirely at that. Hans felt his heart lighten, even as fear filled him. If she could he was a dead man. He looked at the man through his 'closed' downcast eyes. Shoot her. Shoot her now. Shoot her damnit! He willed the man's finger to pull the trigger, saw it happening in his mind…

"Prince Hans-" Elsa's voice was surprisingly calm, but whatever she was about to say was lost.

"NO!" Elsa wasn't in front of him any longer; he could see her falling, a startled look on her face, but it was hidden after an instant by Anna's dress. Hans looked up, watching her unearthly pale skin change to a brilliant translucent blue. Her arm was stretched out, frozen in the act of her shoving her sister out of the way. The bolt struck her full in the chest. Had it been Elsa, it would have struck her heart… striking the icy statue of his 'beloved' the bolt rebounded with a flare of white light, flipping into the air and clattering upon the ice.

Elsa was already rising, a howl of rage spilling out of her lungs as she unleashed frozen hell upon the man. Shards of ice formed in the air, streaming towards the assassin even as spikes burst from the ground beneath him. There might have been a scream… but all that was left was ice tinged red. Elsa turned from her victim, crawling to her sister, wrapping her arms around the ice sculpture and began sobbing, howling in grief.

Hans turned away, despondent. All his hard work for nothing… all the struggle, all the acts, all the effort… wasted. A golden opportunity lost. He could have cried as Elsa did, were it not for the lessons his father had 'taught' him… He noticed another figure approach, looking up only to see if it was the other assassin, but no, no there was no such luck as that. He had no clue who the man was, but he'd had the great good fortune of arriving after Elsa's vengeance was lost to her grief. Behind him the snowman, apparently just catching up, called Anna's name in disbelief. Hans sagged, stumbled, then collapsed to his knees shivering, his body and spirit completely and utterly spent by the experience.

He barely registered as Elsa's sobs ebbed away. "Anna?" The queen of Arrendele's voice seemed… distant. Hans turned to look at her, finding her tears drying, a look of shocked incomprehension coming across her face as Anna knelt down in front of her and wrapped her arms around her. Hans blinked, wondering, somewhere in the back of his mind how that was possible. She was a statue of ice. He had seen that, right? "Anna?" He asked, the name slurring as it left his mouth. He blinked. He didn't slur… his father made sure he didn't slur. Very sure.

He blinked again, looking at them owlishly. They had turned to look at him; there was something about the look they were giving him. He knew that look, but from where? He blinked again, trying to think, but… it was… difficult for some reason. He knew that look; there was something important about that look. He knew it was important, he'd seen it, he was absolutely certain of it. He saw Anna getting up, heading to him. Then it clicked. That look, a woman coming towards him? It reminded him of the look his mother always had after his father came back from an unsuccessful hunt.

And then everything went black.

Author's Notes: Nope, not done yet. Also, be aware of the umbles (grumble, stumble, fumble, etc.)


	4. A Slow Recovery

Author's Note: So it looks like there's going to be me more than just three chapters after all. I hope you're all enjoying. Thanks for the comments.

Chapter 4: A Slow Recovery

Everything hurt. From his toes to his scalp, inside and out, everything hurt. Hans had felt this much pain only once before, when he had 'tripped' and fallen down the grand staircase in his father's castle. All that was missing was the sharp bite in his forearm. He was in so much pain he couldn't even bring himself to groan.

And then something forced the issue by prodding his cheek. That got a groan out of him, and, thankfully, got whatever was poking him to back off.

"I think he's waking up!" The voice was excited, very excited. In the recesses of his mind he tried to match it to a face.

"Please, stand back; I need to check on him." That one didn't sound as familiar, but was far more reserved. And then his shoulder felt like it was on fire as someone ran their hand behind it, trying to lift it up. "Prince Hans, can you hear me?" He groaned in answer, and felt himself being lowered before the hand lowered him back down. "Princess Anna, I will stay with him, but he needs more time to recover, let him sleep."

Sleep sounded good. In fact sleep sounded very good. Anything that could make him forget the pain he was in would be a welcome relief. He heard a non-committal noise from the formerly excited voice, and then heard someone walk away, a door creaking closed in the distance.

Hans began to slip back into unconsciousness, one thought niggling at the back of his mind as he did so: did the other voice say princess?

Again the prodding woke him up. It no longer burned like it had before, and his body wasn't in nearly so much pain as it had been. Hans grunted instead of groaned. Again, came the excited voice, "He's waking back up!"

"Prince Hans," The reserved voice was back, noticeably closer than the excited one, "Can you hear me?"

Hans let out a breath, trying to get his mouth to work. His throat was having very little of that, but then someone began to lift him up again. Surprisingly, while it still hurt, it also helped him get his uncooperative voice back, "Yes." He croaked, the unused and thoroughly parched throat releasing a word that sounded very little like he expected it to.

"Water." The reserved voice ordered, and a moment later Hans felt something pressed against his lips, gently tipping back his head, "Drink."

He opened his mouth and water spilled in. It was cold, biting in his throat, he felt his eyes squeeze tightly, but he managed to force himself to swallow a mouthful before coughing. The cup withdrew for a moment, returning after his coughing fit, the order repeated. He swallowed reluctantly, and though he coughed, his throat felt much better. "Thank you." He mumbled, the most he was able to say at the moment, the hand behind his back guiding him back to the bed.

"Rest Prince Hans, you still need to recover."

He would have argued if he had for an instant believed he could have moved without their help, but the voice was right. Honestly, he already felt himself falling back to sleep as his head hit the pillow. The only thing that stuck out to him was that someone was holding his hand as he drifted off to sleep.

Again with the damn prodding! He pulled away this time. It no longer hurt, but it kept waking him up! He took a few quick breaths, and then a cup was pressed against his lips, "Drink." He did so, not waiting to be lifted up. He even reached out rather numbly, and completely blindly, grasping the cup so he could get more than a mouthful at a time. Thankfully, there was no coughing this time around, though he slumped back onto the pillow the moment he was finished.

"Thank you." He said, sounding considerably more like himself.

"You're welcome Prince Hans." The reserved voice seemed… pleased? At least it wasn't being sarcastic. "Are you feeling any better?"

As a matter of fact he was feeling much better, but that meant little when the comparison was to being in so much agony that he was unable to do so much as open his mouth to speak. Still, he managed to say, "Yes." There was a sound from his side, a suppressed sigh of relief, and he felt the hand on top of his squeeze gently. It didn't hurt so he was inclined to let it go. "What hap-" His voice caught for a moment and he felt himself being guided into a sitting position, the cup raised to his lips. He drank again, reaching out with his uncovered hand to grab the cup, which he drained.

"What happened?" He said, very slowly, giving his throat as much time as they needed to form the words.

"You suffered a terrible case of frostbite Prince Hans." The reserved voice explained, and, for some reason the hand squeezed his again. "You lost consciousness."

Frostbite. That… that sounded bad. He paused for a moment, trying to open his eyes and failing. He had to check that he still had… everything. True, everything had been in pain, but that didn't mean everything survived. He wiggled his toes, rubbed his fingers over each other… gently squeezed the hand that was holding his, which lead to them only grasping his tighter. It seemed like they were all still there. Another sigh came from his side, almost… content? Hans managed to force his eyes open, breaking the gum that had formed from them being closed for some time, and immediately regretted it. He hissed, turning away, the light burning his eyes.

"Prince Hans, please relax, you are still recovering."

Well he had gathered THAT, he thought indignantly, but stilled himself regardless. There was no point arguing with someone taking care of him, in his experience that only lead to them taking poorer care of him. He took a breath and steadied himself, then opened a single eye to look around. Really, it wasn't as bright as he had first imagined, though there seemed to be an inordinate amount of candles in the room.

A woman, who he prayed with every ounce of his being was not the princess, came into view. She was plump, in a grey gown and critical eyes that wandered his body. Almost as an afterthought he surveyed himself, realizing he was wearing no more than a bed sheet. He groaned again, but this time not out loud. "How are you feeling?" The woman asked, and Hans was relieved that it was the matronly voice he had heard giving orders to before, not the excited voice from before.

"Better." He managed, which, again, was true, but that really wasn't saying much.

"Good." The woman said simply, and then pulled the heavy fur from his chest, revealing a plain tunic covering his chest. He blinked at it, realizing it wasn't even his undershirt. They must have changed his clothing. How long had he been out, and how bad had it been that they had been able to do that without so much as waking him? The matronly woman placed her ear against his chest, "Take a deep breath please." He frowned, just a little at the way she spoke to him, but took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "Well," The woman said as she lifted her head from his chest, "you aren't wheezing. And it doesn't sound like you have any fluid in your lungs. That's a good sign." She looked at him, her lips quirked in a smile that Hans found just a bit unnerving, "You're a hale hearty man, you should be fine. Though the next time you run into a blizzard to save us all I would recommend a heavier coat."

"Sigrid!" The anxious voice at his side blustered, and Hans finally turned to look. Anna was sitting there, holding his hand, looking appalled by the nurse's commentary.

"Anna?" He stared at her for a moment, a mix of emotions and memories swirling around in his head. He remembered her turning to ice, not that that made any sense, and he could have SWORN she had a shock of white hair even before then, but that was gone. She turned to look at him with admiration, which could only be a good thing.

"Prince Hans…" She was smiling eagerly, opening her mouth to speak again when he reached out and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Oh Anna…" He murmured, closing his eyes as he tried to piece together what happened, "Thank God you're alive." He slowly let his grasp slip, pulling back to look at her face, a giddy blush spreading across it, "I thought I lost you."

Her mouth moved for a few seconds, her blush growing even deeper until she finally looked down to collect herself. She let out a sheepish chuckle, then looked back at him, "You did, actually, at least for a few seconds." She was still holding his hand, squeezing it gently as she lifted it up, "You took me to Elsa, out in the blizzard, and then we found her, but the Duke's men were trying to kill her, and you offered to save me from being frozen by taking the ice in my heart into yourself, but then I saw one of the Duke's men aiming to shoot Elsa in the back so I pushed her out of the way, but at that moment I turned to ice so when the bolt hit me it rebounded, and then I unfroze, and you and Elsa and Kristoph and Olaf were crying for me, and I was just telling Elsa I was ok when you fell unconscious and, and, and…" She finally released his hand only to wrap her arms around him, "I'm just so glad you're ok."

He laughed a little, wrapping his arms around her back a little bit more softly than the first time. "I'm just glad you're ok Anna." He lingered there, feeling her gentle warmth around him, a dozen questions running through his mind. First and foremost that name had come up again. Kristoph. He needed to know more about him. She knew him, and she very clearly didn't know many men. Best to settle that later though, there was a more important person to worry about first. He gently released her, and after a moment she pulled back, looking up at him, her eyes watering a bit, though she looked away, wiping at her eyes.

"S-sorry, I've just…" She let out a breath, "I'm just glad you're ok."

"You were always at my side, weren't you?"

She looked positively giddy for a moment, reinforced by the smile on his face, "Y-yeah, at least when I wasn't sleeping." She laughed a little.

"You woke me up, each time. Your touch…" The moment he said it he realized something was off. The look on her face went from oh so pleased to a flash of complete and utter embarrassment before turning into a fake smile. He paused, trying to think at what that could be from, "Is something wrong?"

"Wrong?" She blushed, "No, no nothing is wrong. Everything is A-ok!" She nervously tapped her fingers together, giving a small laugh as she tried vainly to cover up whatever she was lying about, but he just kept looking at her, and she began to crumble, "I… I was wiping your cheek."

"Wiping my cheek?" He blinked, confused, "Why?"

"You, uh… while you were unconscious, you kind of, sort of… drooled."

Hans stared at her for a moment, and then began looking around for a piece of wood he could slam his head against. He had drooled in his sleep. Drooled! Like a child! Of all the indignities! If his brothers found out he'd never hear the end of it! And he dreaded to even consider what his father would say about it… Finding nothing convenient he resorted to slamming his open palm against his forehead with an audible thwap. Anna cringed a little as she looked up at him, "Sorry."

"It… it's ok." Hans lied, and rather poorly at that, since even the oh-so-gullible princess hardly looked convinced.

"I mean, I'm sure you don't do it normally." She was looking this way and that, rambling out justifications for him, "You were half dead when we got you inside. We were all so worried about you."

Hans sighed very heavily, and then placed a hand on her shoulder, "Anna… its ok. For your information, when I was very young I drooled in my sleep. I haven't done it in ages."

That seemed to sooth her, and she looked happy again, even though the admission rankled, just a little. He didn't want her to advertise that to anyone, so he carefully, but quickly, changed the subject, "How is Queen Elsa?"

Anna blinked the slightest hint of a frown forming before she opened her mouth to answer. "I'm fine." Hans felt his eyes widen as Anna frowned just a little. He turned, looking at the queen, lingering in the doorway, a hand braced against the frame, propping up her wounded leg. She managed to force a smile, but there was very little warmth to it, "I'm glad you're feeling better Prince Hans."

"I'm recovering well, thanks to your nurse," He glanced at Anna, "And your sister." Anna blushed, looking down at the bed, and Hans looked back to Elsa, spotting a fleeting frown before it disappeared from the queen's face, "How is your leg?"

That got the frown back. He wasn't sure he wanted it back, but it was obvious she was putting up a front. Something was wrong. She looked down, almost nodding to herself before looking back at him, again forcing a smile, "I'm still recovering." He wasn't sure how honest she was being, or if she even believed it herself. "It should heal."

"That's good news." He said, a little slowly, glancing at Anna who looked distinctly uncomfortable, "But I sense something else is wrong."

Anna frowned again, and he turned back at the sound of Elsa's sigh, "I'm sorry Prince Hans."

"Sorry?" He blinked, a little confused, "Sorry for what?"

"For my creation attacking you? For nearly freezing you to death?" She wasn't looking at him, and for some reason that was bothering him, she was still holding something back.

"I survived, and I've recovered." He said, giving her a nice big smile as he hoped his eager optimism would get her attention. It did, she glanced at him, looking none too happy, though not at him, not directly anyway. "For what it's worth…" He ventured, dipping his head, "I should apologize as well. If I hadn't…." He sighed very heavily, looking up at her, trying to display guilt he didn't really feel, "If I hadn't placed you in that prison the Duke's men never would have gotten to you." He looked away quickly, "It's my fault you were injured."

Anna grabbed his hand, but he only shot her a dejected glance. She seemed angrier than he expected, but didn't say anything. Elsa, he noticed, was frowning, "The Duke suggested it, didn't he?"

"Yes." Hans answered, honestly for once, though he left off the others who had agreed with his position. "I never should have listened to him. After his men broke into your ice castle…" He shook his head, sighing and letting his head fall into his hand, massaging his brow, "I had him confine them to his room, after the creature, and the sudden winter I hoped they were simply overcome by the stress of the experience. But outside…"

"It's not your fault!" Anna said, grabbing his arm, and he gave her a weary smile. Not entirely false either, he was getting a bit tired of her pulling at him, it was like having the attention of an overeager child in a grown woman's body. "That little worm tricked you."

"But whose fault is that?" Prince Hans sagged, just a little, "You put faith in me to rule wisely while you were gone. I gave him too much trust and far too much leeway. Even when I tried to warn him he refused to listen." He scowled in disgust, glancing up at Queen Elsa, who looked uncomfortable, "Queen Elsa, I am truly sorry; if it weren't for me you never would have been injured."

Queen Elsa stared at him for a long moment, as if calculating something inside her mind. Finally, she smiled, "You know, he actually had the nerve to accuse you of plotting to kill me?" She let out a sigh of disgust as Hans widened his eyes in mock shock, "He said you were bringing Anna down to see me as a distraction-"

And that was as far as Elsa got before Anna jumped to her feet, "That WORM! Elsa! How could you believe him, even for a second?! He's been nothing buy a manipulative little shrew this entire time!"

"I didn't say I believed him." Elsa said simply, looking away, "But Prince Hans should be aware he made the accusation."

Hans made an effort to visually restrain himself, swallowing what he could have said since Anna was doing such a wonderful job of leaping to his defense. He huffed, "Did he make that accusation in open court?" Elsa frowned, and then nodded. Inside, Hans smiled. That pompous little man may as well have handed him the keys to his kingdom with an accusation like that, "When my father hears of this…" A twinge from both of them cut him off, and again Hans felt something was still wrong. He looked up at Anna who still looked indignant, but hushed herself as she looked past him. He looked back at Elsa, a small fear niggling at the back of his mind, "Queen Elsa, what's wrong?"

Queen Elsa sagged visibly, turning back towards the door with an effort, "I'm sorry Prince Hans," She said quietly, "That won't be possible until winter ends."

Author's Notes: You didn't think the title of this chapter was about _Hans_, did you?


End file.
